As one of countries starting with T, the Republic of Tunisia is located in the central northern part of Africa and has borders between Libya and Algeria. Tunisia is one of the Maghre countries. This is an Arabic designation for a number of countries west of Saudi Arabia, including Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and Libya.
In ancient times, mainly Berbers lived in the area that is now Tunisia. From the tenth century, the area is colonized by the Phoenicians. They founded the city of Carthage this city and empire have long been the rivals of the Romans. This led to one of the most famous battles of the time of the Romans. Who does not know the story of Hannibal who traveled across the Alps with his elephants. In the end, the Phoenicians lose and Tunisia and the rest of North Africa were taken by the Romans. Many buildings from this period have been preserved.
After the fall of Rome, Tunisia is successively occupied by the Vandals, Byzantines and the Arabs. The latter introduced Islam to the country. This was followed by various Berber kingdoms, the Ottomans and finally the French. Tunisia eventually becomes an independent kingdom in 1956, which is exchanged for the Republic of Tunisia just over a year later. Since then, several presidents have ruled the country, the most famous and longest-serving of these is Ben Ali who was eventually forced to leave the country during the Jasmine Revolution in 2011. Since then, free elections have been held in Tunisia.
Tunisia has long been a popular tourist destination on the Mediterranean, but due to the unstable political situation, the many uprisings and multiple attacks, the country has fallen out of favor with tourists in recent years. It is expected that once there is political calm in Tunisia, tourism will pick up again.
Sights
Most of the sights that can be found in Tunisia have historical origins. For example, many signs can still be found from the period when Tunisia was part of the Roman Empire. The amphitheater of El Djem is a good example of this. There are also several remains of Roman settlements. In the medina of the city of Tunis stands the Mosque Ez Zitouna, this is the oldest mosque in Tunisia. This mosque dates from the seventh century AD and is now part of the university. The capital is also home to the Bardo National Museum and the Dar Ben Abdallah Museum. These are the two most popular museums in Tunisia. The Kashbah Sousse museum is located in the city of Sousse. This museum houses an impressive collection of mosaics.
Whoever travels to the southern part of the country will eventually arrive at the various salt flats of the country. The best known and largest of these is the Chott el-Jerid salt lake. On the hottest days of the year you may see a Fata Morgana here. One of the main attractions in Tunisia is the reason that many tourists visit the country. That is the Mediterranean Sea. This sea provides a very pleasant climate in the northern part of the country.
UNESCO
There are eight inscriptions on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Tunisia. This concerns seven different cultural registrations and one natural registration. The natural entry is the Ichkeul National Park in the northern part of the country not far from the Mediterranean Sea. The park consists mainly of wetlands and is an important hub for migratory birds. The first inscription in Tunisia was the amphitheater of El Djem. This is the largest amphitheater in the continent of Africa and is particularly well preserved. The amphitheater was built by the Romans and could seat about 35,000 people. Later the city of Carthage was added. This city was the capital of the Cathague Empire until the Romans took it and made it the most important city of their empire after Rome and Alexandria. Other inscriptions in Tunisia are the medina of Sousse and Tunis, the city of Kairouan and the former city of Thugga.
Climate
The climate of Tunisia is partly determined by the Mediterranean, the sea, the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara. As a result, the northern part of Tunisia has a warm Mediterranean with mild wet winter months and a warm dry summer period. The central part of Tunisia has a steppe climate where the average temperature is very dependent on the altitude of the region. The warm desert climate occurs in the southern part of Tunisia. The annual precipitation here is very low and the temperatures are especially high in the summer months. The northern part of Tunisia regularly has to deal with depressions that drift inland from the Mediterranean Sea. However, these rarely get past the Atlas Mountains.
the summer months in Tunisia can be particularly warm or hot. In the northern part of the country, temperatures regularly exceed forty degrees Celsius. In the extreme south of the country, temperatures even exceed fifty degrees Celsius. On these hot days, it’s best to find a spot in the shade near the Mediterranean Sea.
Tunisia is regularly ravaged by the Chile a local Sirocco that comes from the south. This wind takes a lot of sand and dust from the Sahara and ensures that the sky will turn reddish brown. When the Chile passes over Tunisia, the average humidity drops enormously and the humidity will no longer exceed thirty percent.
Geography
Tunisia is located in the central northern part of Africa. Tunisia has land borders with Algeria and Libya and borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. The northern part of Tunisia mainly consists of a number of mountain ranges running from west to east. These are all foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The area is divided into two parts. This split is caused by the Mejerda River that runs through the valley of the same name. This is the only river in Tunisia that never completely dries up. The highest mountain in Tunisia is also located in this area. The Jebel Chambi is 1,544 meters high and can be found near the border with Algeria.
the central part of Tunisia mainly consists of steppe area that in the south gradually changes into salt flats. Several rivers run through this area, which always run dry in the summer months.
the southern part of Tunisia mainly consists of a Saharan plain. The landscape here is initially characterized by large salt flats and oases, but eventually changes into the desert landscape of the Sahara. In this part is the Chott el-Jerid, a salt lake that consists of a salt flat for a large part of the year. The salt lake is about 5,000 square kilometers in size.
The Capital Tunis is the largest city in the country. Other well-known large and popular cities in the country are Sfax, Sousse, Midroun, Kairouan and Bizerte. Popular tourist places in the country are Hammamet, the island of Djerba, Sousse, Monistar, Skanes and Port el Kantaoui.
Travel advice
The travel advice for Tunisia has been “all trips to certain areas are discouraged” for some time now. This is mainly due to the aftermath of the jasmine revolution and the increased risk of attacks. In addition, the border area with Libya is seen as very dangerous. In addition, fighting regularly takes place in the border area with Algeria. Travel to both borders is therefore strongly discouraged. Large demonstrations regularly take place in the larger cities of Tunisia. These are mainly aimed at new presidential elections and the deteriorating economic climate. As a Westerner it is wise to avoid these demonstrations as they can degenerate into anti-Western demonstrations.
If you do go on holiday to Tunisia, stay close to the tourist zones and make sure you are well informed about the latest political developments in the country.
Travel documents
To be able to visit Tunisia, you must be in possession of a passport that is valid for at least six months on the day of departure from the country. In many cases you can also visit the country if you are in possession of a valid identity card and a hotel voucher. This applies to travelers of all ages. You do not need a visa to visit Tunisia, only if you plan to stay in the country for more than three months. In addition, you must be in possession of a return or onward ticket.
The import and export of drugs and other narcotics is strictly prohibited here. Violation of these rules carries high fines and prison sentences.
Info table
| Capital city | Tunis |
| Phone (country code) | 216 |
| Internetdomein | .tn |
| Language(s) (official) | Arabic |
| Language(s) (colloquial) | (Tunisian) Arabic, Berber and French |
| Religion(s) | islam |
| Time zone(s) | UTC+1 |
| Time difference summer | In Tunisia it is 1 hour earlier than in the Netherlands |
| Time difference winter | In Tunisia time runs parallel with the Netherlands |
| Daylight Saving Time Control | nee |
| Currency | Tunisian dinars |
